BIOL 200 Lecture Notes - Omega-3 Fatty Acid, Vitamin K Deficiency, Malabsorption
19 Jan 2013
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Document Summary
Often interact with enzymes to speed up metabolic reactions. Most are essential (must be absorbed from food) Only vitamin d (skin) and vitamin k (gut bacteria) are non-essential (produced by body) Fat soluble: vitamin a: vision, growth, reproduction, vitamin d: regulates calcium levels, bone formation, vitamin k: blood clotting. Water soluble: vitamin c: antioxidant, wound healing, synthesis of adrenaline, bone formation, vitamin b12 and folic acid: cell division (low levels cause anaemia) Supplements: vitamins a and d (fat soluble) Only small amounts are needed, rest stored within liver. Excessive intake from supplements can cause liver damage: vitamin c (and other water soluble vitamins) Not stored - regular intake required for good health. In the uk, supplements are only useful for. Chloride: maintain osmotic pressure, required for acid production in stomach. Potassium: abnormal levels cause abnormal heart rhythms. Calcium: bones and teeth, regulation of heartbeat, muscle contraction, blood clotting, nerve and brain function (important for synapses)
